Kemi
A mill full of world-class competence
Success in a large project calls for seamless cooperation between many parties. Kemi bioproduct mill raises environmental efficiency, safety, digitalisation, and sidestream utilisation to a new level – offering the participants an opportunity to showcase their skills.
Well planned is half done, as the saying goes. It applies perfectly to the construction of Kemi bioproduct mill, which has progressed as schedu- led despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. “We have never wavered in our goal to complete this construction pro- ject in accordance with the minutely prepared plans. We are now focu- sing on the mill’s safe and smooth start-up according to schedule,” says Jari-Pekka Johansson , Project Director at Kemi bioproduct mill project. Success in a large construction project calls for competent employ ees and smooth cooperation among a variety of parties and partners. Comprehensive training for employees Production at the new mill will begin in the third quarter of 2023 but per- sonnel training, involving employees at the current Kemi pulp mill, began in the spring of 2021. It is intended to secure the smooth deployment of the new mill and the controlled shutdown of the old one. VP, Production Tomi Seppä notes that detailed training plans have been drawn up for each unit, and their progress is monitored systemati- cally in cooperation with the project supervisors and supervisors at the current Kemi mill. Training covers safety, environmental performance, and the technological competence required by the new mill’s produc- tion process and equipment. “In addition to traditional forms of training, we provide simulator trai- ning tailored for individual units to help the employees run and learn about the new mill’s process before the actual start-up. Some of the employees have also had the opportunity to study the new technique in practice du- ring training visits to Äänekoski bioproduct mill,” says Seppä.
The employees have found the training periods at other mills motiva- ting and good for team spirit within the company. “We cooperate closely with our colleagues at Äänekoski bioproduct mill, which lowers our threshold for requesting help if we encounter any problems. It also enables us to share our best practices and support con- tinuous improvement between different production units.” In addition to competence, Metsä Fibre emphasises wellbeing at work. “It has been one important consideration when planning and imple- menting new facilities,” says Seppä. Partners with exacting quality requirements The key partners of Kemi bioproduct mill include AFRY, in charge of engi- neering; Fimpec, in charge of construction management; Valmet, supp- lier of main process equipment; ABB, supplier of electrification; and An- dritz, supplier of sludge and wood processing technology. There are a total of almost 1,500 companies involved in the project. During one day, about 500 companies work at the site. The construction work involves a large group of Finnish companies. The proportion of Finnish-origin work in the project is extremely high – around 70 per cent. From the outset, partner choices reflected the extremely high safe- ty and quality requirements set for the project. Other important consi- derations were schedule dependability and proactive combatting of the grey economy. “We wanted to have the best professionals in the field on board, pro- vided they are committed to our goals, and we found them,” Johans- son says.
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